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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · march · court · rule · plane · face · lash · spell

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. march — music
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. march — the month
  7. court — of a king
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. march — the month
  15. plane — a tool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rule — a law
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. spell — letters
  20. face — to confront
  21. rule — government
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. face — to point toward
  24. plane — in geometry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com